WILD GARLIC PIN WHEELS

WILD GARLIC PIN WHEELS

This is a fun little recipe but tastes great.

Start with making your pastry, I use ruff tuff because it's fast and I love it.

Ruff tuff pastry

500g plain flour

500g cold butter, cut into cubes

1tsp salt

250ml cold water 

1. Put the flour in a big bowl and make a well. Put in the butter and salt and work them together with the fingertips of one hand, gradually drawing the flour into the centre with the other hand.
2. When the cubes of butter have become small pieces and the dough is grainy, gradually add the water and mix until it is all incorporated, but don't overwork the dough. Roll it into a ball, wrap in baking paper and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. Flour the work surface and roll out the pastry into a 40 x 20cm rectangle. Fold one of the ends into the middle the the other end over the top of the first fold, Roll the block of pastry into a 40 x 20cm rectangle as before and repeat the folds. These are the first 2 turns. Wrap the block in baking paper  and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
4. Give the chilled pastry another 2 turns, rolling and folding as before. This makes a total of 4 turns, and the pastry is now ready. Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.

Now while your waiting make your pesto.

Wild garlic pesto

• 100g mixed chopped nuts 
• 60g wild garlic (ramsons) 
• 150ml olive oil
• Juice from half a lemon 
• 30g Grated Parmesan or veggie Parmesan from Bookhams or Waitrose    
• salt and pepper to taste 

First cut the stalks off the end of the wild garlic leaves, then just go over all of the leaves with a knife, rough chop and put in your kitchen blender.

Add the grated Parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice and mixed chopped nuts to the blender and pulse in short blasts until it is a good consistency. season with salt and pepper and put to one side.  Easy!

Now roll out the pastry till it's about 3mm thick spread the pesto all over leaving a 1cm gap this is where you will seal the pin wheel .

On the end where the pesto goes right to the edge roll it up on its self like a Swiss roll and seal the edge keep it tight this will help hold it together when cooking.

Cling film the whole tube and put it in the fridge for 20mins.

Cut the tube into 1cm thick slices and place on a a backing tray with partcment paper.

Pre heat the oven to 170c and bake for 14 minutes till golden brown and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy !

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Soulshine cafe

Soulshine cafe Bridport 

 

This is where I've been spending most of my time an amazing little cafe of Bridport high street.

This cafe opened last year and after speaking to one of the owners, Chris, and having a little look at what they had been creating behind the white-washed windows I just had to be part of it.

Lisa and Chris, the two owners, started building and created what was in their heads and I can't be the only one that thinks they have done somthing amazing in Bridport; fresh juices, very good coffee and very tasty food using as many organic and locally souced ingredients as possible. Not only is most of the menu locally sourced but all of the building work and the furniture was done or made by the talented people of Bridport .

There is an amazing area to let your kids draw on the walls or play with toys while you sit down and enjoy a cup of the finest coffee, you can sit by the log burner or in the garden full of flowers and little birds that live in the bushes.

Check us out at www.soulshinecafe.co.uk 

I'm back and blogging

So it's 2015 I've not blogged for a very long time but I'm back I've got new ideas , new plans and a real good job and I want to share it all with you .

I have new recipes for you so keep reading and please ask if there's any think you want to know 

West Country wonder

This cocktail is so easy to make but the ingredients do all the work.

Makes two or one big one drink

Ingredients 

Allington hill apple juice 33cl bottle

50ml of black cow vodka 

Zest of half an orange 

1/2 cinnamon stick broken up

Before you do any think put the vodka in a shaker with the cinnamon and zest to let it infuse or stick a hole cinnamon stick in the black cow vodka a week before.

Prepare a glass with crushed ice.

Now add to the shaker a handful of ice 200ml of apple juice and shake shake up for 1min and pour over the ice sit back and enjoy 

RHUBARB & VANILLA JAM

RHUBARB & VANILLA JAM

Rhubarb... It has been a very wet and cold start to spring so things are not growing there best but if you can manage to get any rhubarb from your garden make this amazing jam.


500g Rhubarb
500g Jam sugar
1 vanilla pod
1/2 sachet of pectin

• First things First put a saucer in the fridge, you will need this later!

• Cut of the leaves and chop your rhubarb in to 5mm slices but in a heavy based pan with a splash of water and cook for 5mins stirring lots so it does not go to mush.

• Cut the vanilla pod in half length ways and run a knife down the open side scraping up the vanilla seeds, do this to both sides and add the pod and seeds to the pad with the rhubarb. (here is a video i found for you if you don't under stand)

• Add the sugar & pectin, bring the heat up to no more then 104°C stir till the sugar has melted.

•  Turn down to a steady/gentle boil (slowly bubbles popping to the top) cook for 15mins then do the plate test.

• To test the setting point, remove the pan from the heat. Take your saucer from the fridge and place a drop of jam onto the cold plate. After a few seconds push the jam with your finger.
   
   

• If the jam surface wrinkles then it has reached setting point and is ready. If it slides about as a liquid, then it hasn't reached setting point and should be returned to the heat and boiled for a few more minutes before testing again. 

• now pour the jam in to some sterilized jars cover with a wax disk made from some baking parchment paper, close the lid when still warm label and store in a dark place for up to 1 year

WILD GARLIC PESTO RAREBIT

  

WILD GARLIC PESTO RAREBIT

Today I cooked this at a pop up dinner at the Bridport arts centere, page to screen festival

100g butter
100g flour
50g milk
1bottle of nice pale ale
20g of mustard
300g mild cheddar

2 yolks (free range)
Worcestershire sauce
tabasco
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a pan add the flour and cook out the roux.

Add milk and ale keep mixing it with a wooden spoon so it does not catch
now add the mustard, Tabasco,Worcestershire sauce and the cheddar keep mixing till all the cheese has melted. 

now whisk in the yolks and take off the heat.

Take a nice slice of bread and rub with tomato sauce or chopped toms then cover with wild garlic pesto and spread the rarebit over the top and cook at 200c till the top starts going golden...

Phoenix bakery

WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING

Time is getting on and I have had some ups and downs but I am back on track now no thanks to a certain Restaurant In Bridport I wont say names. I am now getting excited about starting full time at the phoenix bakery in the up stairs kitchen cooking tasty lunches. 

I have been working in the Olive Tree in Bridport and weekends at Phoenix in Weymouth baking, learning the breads, cleaning and soon to be cooking upstairs. I was very happy when Aidan asked me if I wanted a job its amazing to see and work with some one who has so much passion for what they do. let alone work some where that makes the most tasty breads and cakes!

If you don't all ready fellow me on Twitter foodfor3

A BIG THANKS TO ANY ONE WHO HAS HELPED ME OUT OVER THE WINTER LET THE SUMMER BE BETTER FOR US ALL.

Blackberrys

They are every where at the moment so go pick them before the black birds eat them all.
we have been using them in ice cream or with our oxtail stew recipe but today I have a nice jelly recipe for you ....

Blackberry Jelly

400g blackberry

50-150g caster sugar you can also use veggie gel 

4 gelatine leaves

Put the blackberrys in a pan with a good splash of water and bring to a simmer. You don't want to actually cook them, just heat them enough to release their juices. Press down with the back of a spoon to help them burst and extract all the juice.

Sieve the juice into a jug and pour it back into the pan, heat gently and add the sugar in 50g amounts until the juice is sweet enough. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for five minutes then lift them out and stir them into the warm juice. 

set in any pots or moulds you have ...

Whats coming next...

We are coming to the end of summer, Think I might have missed it or dorset is still waiting, hoping for some good whether. We now move on and get some new food to play with, birds are flying in to the pan and my veg beds are waiting for some more plants to be planted. so here are a few things to look out on our menus this coming month...

carrots  chillies  cucumber  courgettes  aubergine  sweetcorn  watercress  grouse

hare  blackberries  blueberries  damsons  figs  plums  brill  cockles  dab's

POP UP

pop-up update 

Today me and Katy got up at 6:30 am to go foraging for sea veg we got sea kale, sea beet, stone crop and samphire  then worked all day but on my brake drove to some where to pick wood sorrel

Then Monkton wild court to pick up some Fivepenny farm cheese yummy creamy and mild is what they had today so thats what I am using on friday any way... BED...

pop up challenge

So its been along time but im back on my blog and to get you all in to it I invite people to come eat at my pop ups heres the menus its £25 ahead dont miss out book with me now dominicbrown49@hotmail.com or check out festivalofculture.com 

Dom’s Pop Up at the Red Brick 17th of August

Starter

Foraged mushrooms & wood sorrel on toast

Bridport smoked haddock rarebit

Frampton’s ham hock summer salad

Main

(Served with a side of sea greens)

Dorset butternut squash, roast carrots,

crispy courgette & cheddar crust

Fillet of Lyme Bay lemon sole

pan-fried with a creamy tarragon sauce,

stone crop & crushed potatoes

Dorset pork chorizo pudding

with a garlic & spring onion mash

Pudding

Spiced dark chocolate mousse

Allington Hill apple juice jelly,

blackcurrant compote & elderflower ice cream

Fivepenny Farm cheddar with

crackers & chutney

Dom’s Pop-Up at The Avenue 26th of August

judged by Russell Brown from Sienna

Starter

Foraged mushrooms & wood sorrel on toast

Bridport smoked haddock rarebit & soft-boiled quails egg

Main

(Served with a side of sea greens)

Roast butternut squash, pickled carrot,

beetroot puree & sweetcorn caviar

Dorset pork & chorizo pudding

with a garlic & spring onion mash

Dessert

Spiced dark chocolate mousse

Allington Hill apple juice jelly,

blackcurrant compote & elderflower ice cream

Fivepenny Farm cheddar with

crackers & chutney

ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL

 

 

 

 

Prep time: 20 min, plus overnight infusing

Cook time: 5 min

Serves: Makes 1.5 litres

 

Ingredients

• 20 heads of elderflower (remove the flowers with a folk)
• 1.8 kg granulated sugar, or caster sugar
• 1.2 litres water
• 2 unwaxed lemons zest and juice
• 50g citric acid from fruits of the earth

Method

1. Shake the elderflowers to expel any lingering insects, and then place in a large bowl.
 
2. Put the sugar into a pan with the water and bring up to the boil, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.

3. While the sugar syrup is heating, cut the zest of the lemons off in wide strips and toss into the bowl with the elderflowers. Slice the lemons, discard the ends, and add the slices to the bowl. Pour over the boiling syrup, and then stir in the citric acid. Cover with a cloth and then leave at room temperature for 24 hours.
4. Next day, strain the cordial through a sieve lined with muslin, and pour into thoroughly cleaned glass or plastic bottles. Screw on the lids and pop into the cupboard ready to use.

I like to mix mine with sparkling water, lots of ice and a few mint leafs, But you can mix with water or if your feeling dead posh put a splash of cordial in your champagne.

 

MUSHROOMS OF THE DAY

Fairy Ring Champignon


Alot of mushrooms have to be cooked this is one of them

Alot of mushrooms have to be cooked this is one of them
Cap: 2–5cm. Convex then flat with a central boss when mature,
wavy margin. Tawny to ochre, paler when dry.
Stem: 4–7cm by 0.3–0.5cm. White to cream, tough and fibrous.
Gills: Distinctly beige, broad and spaced widely.
Flesh: Very thin, cream.
Spores: White.
Habitat: Short grass, lawns, parks, pasture. Often in rings.
Frequency: Very common.
Season: Spring to autumn.
Warning: Must be cooked!

Field `Mushroom

Cap: 6-10cm. white and silky,fibrous, often with browner fibres in the centre, rounded then flat, cap skin overhanging.
Stem: 5-8cm by 1-2.5cm. spindle- shaped and not bulbous at the base.
Ring: Simple and fragile
Gills: Pink from very young, then brown as the spores mature
Flesh: Turns slightly pink when damaged
Spores: Dark brown.
Habitat: Grassland, usually in rings.
Frequency: Common
season: Summer to autumn

PIMMS O CLOCK

With weather like this it must be time to sit down in the garden and have a drink!

Ingredients

50ml of pimms 
one glass of mint ice cubes
British strawberry's
Lemon & Lime
Borage flowers
Elder flowers
Elderflower cordial 10ml (I will post recipe for this very soon)
Lemonade


The only hard bit about this is having one glass!

Ice cubes

• Chop some mint and put in the ice tray with water and freeze

Pimms

• Mix the elder flowers and a few mint leafs, 10ml of elderflower cordial and mix
• Make layers of strwberry's, lemons, lime and ice
• Top up with lemonade and a few Borage flowers stir and drink!

Enjoy! 

SEA BEET AND RICOTTA QUICHE

After a rainy day I thought a quiche would go down well at our BBQ that moved in to the kitchen due to the weather.

Ingredients

Good handful of sea beet
5 x Free range eggs
150ml of cream
A few blobs of Ricotta
Nutmeg
Salt
Pepper 
1tbls red wine vineger
3 small onions (or 1 big onion)
Chopped chives





For the tart case I am using pre-made pastry...

• Pre heat the oven to 190c
• Roll out pasty on a floured bored and line the greased tin, leaving the excess pastry overhanging
• Dot the pastry with a folk and line with baking paper, fill with beans or rice

• Place on a baking tray and cook for 15 minutes
• Take the beans out and egg wash the whole case, returning to the oven for 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on it so that it does not puff up - if so prick a hole and push down with your hands.
• Once the tart case is cooked go around the top of the tart ring cutting the excess pastry away
• Turn the oven down to 180c

Filling

• Start by heating a pan with a splash of olive oil (not too hot, don't want to color the onions)
• Slice the onions into thin strips and add to the warm pan
• Cook the onions for about five minutes til they start to soften and add 1tbls of red wine vinegar
• Sweat off for about five more minutes still not coloring until soft to bite

• Now bring a pan of water to the boil
• Give the Sea Beet a good wash under the cold tap

• Chop the sea beet into rough squares and blanch in the boiling water for 2 minutes
• Take the sea beet out and run under cold water to stop it going brown, drain off and dab the water off with a clean tea towel
• In a bowl mix 5 free range eggs, 150ml of double cream, a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg
• Place the Sea Beet, onions and Ricotta, and a sprinkle of fresh chopped chives in the tart case, pour over the egg mix

• Place in the middle of the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes till golden on top

 ps... I can give you a recipe for short crust pastry, if any one wants it just ask! 

PASTA DOUGH

 Yummy pasta dough.

So as I said in the last blog here is the pasta recipe ...

Wild garlic pesto pasta

375g Pasta flour ( Plain flour works fine).

9 Egg yolks (Free Range)

1 Whole egg (Free Range)

1 Tbls of cold water

1 Tbls of olive oil

1 pinch of salt

• Whisk all the wet ingredients together in a bowl.
• Place flour and salt in a bowl, make a well in the middle.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the well and mix flour from the out side in.
• Remove from bowl onto a floured surface and kneed until a smooth dough is formed , it should spring back when you pinch it.
• Wrap in cling film and allow to rest in fridge for twenty minutes.

• now roll your pasta out very thin folding it back on its self and rolling it out agen if you have a pasta roller this is a lot better but I don't so old school rolling pin it is.

WILD GARLIC PESTO PASTA

WILD GARLIC PESTO PASTA WITH A  FORAGED HERB SALAD

The Pesto.

• 100g mixed chopped nuts 
• 60g wild garlic (ramsons)
• 150ml olive oil
• 30g Grated Parmesan or veggie Parmesan from Bookhams or Waitrose   
• salt and pepper to taste

First cut the stalks off the end of the wild garlic leaves, then just go over all of the leaves with a knife, rough chop and put in your kitchen blender.

Add the grated Parmesan, olive oil and mixed chopped nuts to the blender and pulse in short blasts until it is a good consistency. season with salt and pepper and put to one side.  Easy!

 
Salad and dressing

• 1½ tbsp of Tewkesbury mustard
• 1tbsp of clear honey
• 1tsp of balsamic vinegar
• 150ml of olive oil
• 1tbsp of wholegrain mustard 

Whisk the tewkesbury, honey and vinegar together then slowly poor in the oil, whisking the whole time, then whisk in the wholegrain mustard.

For my salad I picked Three sided garlic aka leek , wild fennel, penny wort and a few bits from my garden - chives and parsley.  You can add any salad leaves you have in your fridge or garden.  Just mix your salad and enough dressing to coat the leaves.

Now for the hard bit... take one pack of good quality pasta, cook, and add the Wild garlic pesto as you would any other pesto - then eat !  Alternatively, make your own pasta, like I did... recipe to follow

SWEET POTATO AND WILD GARLIC HUMMUS

WILD GARLIC

• 246g 1 can of drained chick peas
• 25g Tahini
• 60g wild garlic (ramsons)
• 250g peeled and diced sweet potato
• 1tsp of dried thyme of few sprigs of fresh
• olive oil
• Maldon sea salt and fresh ground black pepper 

 Why sweet potato ?... Well I tried some beet root hummus few weeks back and decided I wanted to try out other veg hummus and I love sweet potato so I had a go!

Pre heat your oven to 200c. Peel and dice your sweet potato to about a 1cm dice, make a tin foil bag and add a splash of olive oil the thyme and a pinch of salt, close the foil bag and place on a tray in the oven for 30mins.

Meanwhile in a blender put your chick peas, I used organic ones from my local wholefood shop Fruits of the Earth also add your tahini and rough chopped wild garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper and a good glug of olive oil, at this point you don't want it to wet as the sweet potato has a lot of moisture. blitz it till a nice smooth texture and put to one side.

Purée

If you want you can just add 1tbl spoon of lemon juice and a splash more olive oil and have wild garlic hummus.


Wash your mixer out and add the sweet potato, it should now be soft and brake up in your fingers.
blitz in to a Purée (very smooth texture) and chill in the fridge.

The last part just mix the sweet potato and chick pea together,  adjust seasoning and enjoy with a picnic on the beach.
 

RAZOR CLAMMING WITH ALICE BLOGG

Last week me and Alice Blogg went on a very successful razor clamming trip.

First I stopped off to pick up a bucket and some salt,
Then off I went to meet Alice.
We then walked around looking for the key hole where you will find the razor clam. we found a few cockles on our walk.

When you find the hole which looks abit like a key hole pour some salt down it and wait for the magic.

This was my first time and I thought it was amazing. you have to try it !

                          MY FIRST RAZOR CLAM FROM .... SOME WHERE

 

Thanks Alice

Ps.. They have to be over 10cm if not put them back

Olympic fennel

I was asked if you can find wild fennel in London and today on a walk I found some in a little garden by the olympic stadium.